Professional Documents
Culture Documents
October 2014
Intellectual Property Office is an operating name of the Patent Office
Education and Teaching 1
Copyright protects literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works as well as films,
sound recordings, book layouts, and broadcasts. If you want to copy or use
a copyright work then you usually have to get permission from the copyright
owner, but there are a few exceptions where you can copy or use part or all of
a copyright work without permission. Where a work contains a performance,
the performer will also have rights over how the work is used. The exceptions to
copyright also apply to these related rights.
The law on these exceptions has changed in a number of small but important
ways, to make our copyright system better suited to the digital age. These
changes affect how you can use content like books, music, films and
photographs.
Another change permits minor acts of copying for teaching purposes, as long as
the use is considered fair and reasonable. So, teachers will be able to do things
like displaying webpages or quotes on interactive whiteboards, without having to
seek additional permissions.
Education and Teaching 3
Educational use
The changes to the law apply these exceptions to a wider range of copyright
works which were previously not covered – such as artistic works (including
photographs), films and sound recordings. They also permit sharing of copies
over secure distance learning networks. In order to carry out these activities,
schools, colleges and universities simply need to make sure they hold the
relevant licences.
The previous law also allowed limited copying of literary, dramatic, musical or
artistic works for the purposes of teaching, provided it was not by means of a
reprographic process. This meant copying by hand was permitted, but the use
of laptops and interactive whiteboards was not. The previous law has been
replaced with a general “fair dealing” exception, allowing copying of works in any
medium as long as the following conditions apply:
The new law does not remove the need for educational establishments to
hold licences for use that does not fall under the “fair dealing” exception,
for instance, photocopying material to distribute to students. Schools,
colleges and universities still have to pay for third party teaching materials
which are available under licence.
FAQ
Libraries and archives are also able to make copies of artistic works for
researchers and students. Education institutions, libraries, archives and
museums are able to offer access to copyright works on their premises by
electronic means at dedicated terminals.
FAQ
Quotation
The law has been amended to give people greater freedom to quote the works of
others for other purposes, as long as this is reasonable and fair (“fair dealing”).
FAQ
For further information see: Exceptions to copyright: guidance for creators and
copyright owners.
Education and Teaching 11
Educational licences
If your licence was granted before the new laws came into force, and
permits a wider range of activities than the new laws, then your licence will
be unaffected.
If the new laws let you do more than your licence, then you can rely on
the new laws. Your licence will still be valid, but if it says you cannot use a
copyright work in a way permitted by the new laws, you can use the work
under the exception without infringing copyright.
• Does using the work affect the market for the original work? If a use of
a work acts as a substitute for it, causing the owner to lose revenue,
then it is not likely to be fair.
The relative importance of any one factor will vary according to the case in
hand and the type of dealing in question.
Further Information
Guidance on changes to the copyright
exceptions is available at http://www.ipo.
gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-
copyright-law Guides include:
• Overview
• Research
Web: www.gov.uk/ipo
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheIPO.UK
Twitter: @The_IPO
Any enquiries regarding this publication
should be sent to:
DPS/B900/09-14